Strangers in a Strange Land
A New Beginning You watch on from the battlements of the Grey Keep as the valiant heroes fight valiantly in the courtyard below against the enormous dragon (1 ). It continues to grow beyond gargantuan size and you realize their fighting is for naught. Even with their power they cannot hope to slay the beast. No aid will come now, the other heroes have either been slain or are far abroad fighting daemons and the Gods know what else. Nothing can save the City of Grey now or the world most likely. Not to mention your own life is about to be snuffed out. You rue your decision to come to Grey. "Fortune and Glory" they cried, the Mana Crystal had struck nearby and adventurers where flooding to the area from the world over. You were one of the last to arrive, your boat pulling into the docks while all the others were leaving. War was coming and you lacked the finances to book a passage home. So you made the best of the situation that you could, you offered your service to the City of Grey as most of the heroes in the area did and you helped with the war effort. You never signed up for this though and you certainly never expected it. You make a silent prayer to your God as you know without reservation you will be standing before them soon. The phoenix like creature assisting the heroes below begins to expand in size like the dragon, but in doing so it also envelopes the beast. A burning white light begins to form at the centre of the merged creatures. You look away, your eyes trying to focus on the cobblestone beneath your feet. The white light expands, to the point you cannot see your feet, you close your eyes and prepare for death. There is the sound of a loud explosion all about you and you feel heat wrack your body as you lose consciousness. Darkness for an unknown length of time. Your eyes flitter open and you find yourself face down on warm stone. Unable or unwilling to move just yet your eyes focus on a small group of ants carrying what appears to be bread crumbs. They move around your hand rather than climb over it. A cool breeze blows across your back and you feel slightly refreshed by it. You hear several groans and movement about you as you yourself groan and bring yourself to standing. You look about in bewilderment. You appear to be still standing on the Grey Keep battlements and yet it appears you are no longer in Grey. All about you as far as the eye can see are pine, spruce and fir trees. In the distance to the north an impossibly large mountain rang rises up, bathed in shining white snow and crowned with clouds. The breeze blows again, much colder this time, sucking the warmth from your body and a chill runs up your spine. The gentle murmur of people waking begins to turn to panic and confusion. You hear many prayers, exclamations and profanities as others like yourself begin to come to grips with the situation. After a few minutes the panic and confusion begins to manifest into rioting and fleeing. You begin to weigh in your own choices when a loud thunderclap echoes from a balcony of the keep. You eyes are immediately drawn to a noble dressed man, a regent of some sort perhaps. In a voice far too loud to be carried by any natural means he calls to the people in the courtyard below. "People! People please settle down! Uncontrolled chaos and madness will only make this situation worse. Hold your positions! We must stand fast while we ascertain the situation. Runners will bring food and water to you, Clerics and Healers will tend your wounds. Keep to your posts on the battlements and keep your eyes sharp. We live and die as one, and it seems at least for now we have survived the calamity. I will be with you shortly once I know more." The man turns and enters into the keep. "Who was that?" you ask a guard leaning on his halberd beside you. "Alistaire Goodman . Not sure what he's official title is but after the Grey Lords fled the City he's the one that has been keeping things running about here. Lives up to his name he does, probably the best commander I've had in me entire career with this miserable city. Not that there appears to be much of a city left judging by this forest." True to his word you see a number of women and boys exit from the main door of the keep carrying bundles of bread and buckets of water. A number of Clerics follow and move to strategic points about the courtyard. Almost as one they chant a simple prayer and a burst of positive energy emits from each, embracing you in its healing warmth. "Well that's a good sign." says the guard next to you. "What is?" you ask. "The fact that the Clerics still have their power. Means the Gods are still watching over us." You nod in agreement. It seems that the words of Alistaire along with a meal and healing have worked for now. The adventurers, guards and other peoples of the keep seem to settle for the time being and return to their posts. Time seems to drag on. The sun, which was late in the day when you collapsed, now sits mid morning in the clear blue sky. What warmth it offers though is quickly stolen away by the chilled breeze blowing down from the mountains to the north. You spend the next hour or so focusing on the surrounding forest. You hear the usual assortment of wildlife one would expect, birds and small mammals, although you are unable to identify any of the birds you spot flying over head. There is a much less dramatic entrance when Alistaire re-appears, this time through the main entrance of the keep and into the courtyard. Everyone stops what they are doing and turns towards Alistaire in anticipation. The silence is palpable. "The good news is we are still very much alive, and from what we can gather somewhere still on Erthoria . While we sadly have no users of magic, either divine or arcane, of exemplary power, those we do have and will no doubt come to rely upon, believe their atunement with the Gods, the Earth and whatever other magical focuses they rely upon are still intact. This combined with the information we have obtained through observation of the surrounding area leads us to believe that while we are no long on the west coast of Tsar-Loond we are still on our home realm." Alistaire pauses for a moment and looks about at the faces staring back down at him. "The bad news is we don't know exactly where we are or what resources we have access to in the surrounding wilds. Thankfully the Keep was well stocked in the event of siege by the daemon army, however that won't last forever. So we need to make plans and prepare for the possibility that this change is a permanent one. Tonight we stay within the keep walls, we keep our eyes open and our ears pricked. Our newly appointed Captain of the Guard Gerald Wolfmoor will be around to each of you over the next few hours with a scribe. He’ll be assigning you a shift on the wall and taking note of what skills and abilities you may possess. In the morning we will send out small groups of adventurers in each direction to scout and survey the surrounding wilds. May the Gods look upon as all favourably at this time.” Alistaire smiles wearily and then turns for the keep. A clean shaven, broad shouldered, but tired looking man in full-plate steps forward, beside him an elderly gentlemen with scroll and quill. This must be the new Captain of the Guard, he doesn’t look a day over 30. Young for the position one might say, but considering the circumstances probably the most experienced soldier in the keep. It’s at least another hour before Gerald and the scribe approach you on the wall. While you might expect a degree of haughtiness from one so young taking on such a prestigious position, you instead get the impression of a young and weary soldier simply doing what must be done. After a short conversation in which you detail your specific skill set to the scribe you are given leave from the wall to rest for the night. It seems you will be among those leaving the keep in the morning. You don’t sleep terribly well but you sleep enough. You wake shortly before sunrise and pack your gear for the day ahead. A small congregation of adventurers have gathered around a bonfire in the centre of the courtyard, trying to keep warm. You join them, rubbing your arms and breathing into your cupped hands. A moment later you are joined by Alistaire Goodman and Gerald Wolfmoor, both look as though they haven’t slept at all through the night. “''This chill is going to take some getting use to. I just watched my manhood shrink to the size of a peanut when I went for the morning piss”'' snickers Alistaire. There are a few chuckles from the group. “''Onto business then. We are forming four groups, one for each point on the compass. Groups will be comprised of individuals whose skills compliment each other, so no swapping about or you will bugger things up. Information is the key here ladies and gentlemen, not plunder, thrill seeking or pissing off any locals. Keep a low profile, keep an eye out for local resources, food, water, that sort of thing. Most importantly, come back alive, adventurers are finite here and I can’t afford to lose even one of you. We meet back here at sundown. Gerald has your groups and assignments. Good luck!”'' Begin Play Break the attending players into more than one group if necessary. Ideally groups should be no bigger than six and no smaller than four. The two groups provided here are labelled EAST and WEST. Detailed information for both groups is provided below. Each group has its own adventure, encounters and treasures. The experience and rewards though should be near the same. EPILOGUE (To be read when the parties have finished their quests and returned to the Keep) You hustle back through the main door of the keep just as the last few rays of sunlight descend over the horizon. The bonfire that was burning this morning appears even bigger now, you move to join Alistaire and the other adventurers. Joined by Gerald and the scribe Alistaire listens to your reports in length, asking relevant questions as they arise. He seems very pleased with the work accomplished in just one day and happily accepts any items you may have acquired that give clues to your location. Alistaire speaks - '' “''I’m not sure how useful the coin is going to be going forwards, but here is reward for your efforts. The smiths here at the keep and the few other merchants that came with us will take your coin, although their prices might be a little steep right now.” '' ''He hands each of you a purse of coins. ''(Each contains 100gp) “''No supper and rest, you’ve done fine work today, but we’ll need more of your services again very soon.” Each player receives 500XP. Eeast Read the following introduction to the players (As a general rule any italic text is to be read aloud) – You and your newly formed group head out the now open gates of the Keep and step out into the forest beyond. The early morning light has yet to pierce the thick canopy above you and touch the ground at your feet, making it a little difficult for those with human eyes to see. You check your bearings against the rising sun and head towards it and presumably East. '' The adventurers will be spending the sessions exploring a single hex on the map to the east of the Keep. For the sake of ease it’s assumed that the sharp eyes on the Keep wall and perhaps some night surveillance by a more elite group has already surveyed the area immediately surrounding the Keep (essentially the hex it is in on the map). A typical 12 mile hex filled with forest takes two days to thoroughly investigate. For the sake of this story though we are going to assume that the adventurers will be able to get enough information in one day to consider their hex ‘Explored’. Allow the players to determine how they best feel they should explore the hex, whether it be a sweeping pattern or random squiggle. It’s a good opportunity for the ‘characters’ to introduce themselves and meet each other (If their characters are friendly and open enough that is). Use the table below to make 10 checks (Or simply pick one if you prefer) re-rolling any previously encountered results. Essentially the group should encounter each of these events once. More detail for each event is found below this table. Once all 10 events are completed point out to the players that the sun is getting low on the horizon and that they should probably make for the Keep hastily. D10 Event 1 Coin 2 Encounter: Badgers 3 Encounter: Deer 4 Creek 5 Split Tree 6 Forest Clearing 7 Dry Gulley 8 Wild Apple Tree 9 Old Campfire 10 Ruined Tower '''1> Coin' Perception Check (DC 15) – Success: You notice something on the ground amongst the brush shining in the sunlight. A closer look reveals it to be a single silver coin. It’s definitely Gras-Loond mint although you’re not sure of its age as it is quite worn. You can just make out a head stamped into one side of the coin. Knowledge: History Check (DC 25) – Success: You can identify the head as that of Emperor Therios. This is an old, old coin. 2> Encounter: Badgers If the group consists of six players than make the following encounter consist of three Badger’s and not just two. You’re movement through the brush has disturbed a couple of residents and they don’t seem too pleased about it. Two grumpy and hostile badgers burst out of the brush and charge the group. N Small animal Init +1; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5 DEFENSE AC 13, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size) hp 9 (1d8+5) Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +1 OFFENSE Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft. Melee bite +1 (1d3), 2 claws +1 (1d2) Special Attacks blood rage STATISTICS Str 10, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Base Atk +0; CMB –1; CMD 10 (14 vs. trip) Feats Toughness Skills Escape Artist +5, Perception +5; Racial Modifiers +4 Escape Artist 3> Encounter: Deer Perception Check (DC 15) – Success: You notice movement out of the corner of your eye and spot a Deer about 100ft (30 Meters) ahead. If the players do not notice the Deer and keep moving they will startle the beast and it will attempt to flee. Likewise if they move loudly they will also startle the beast. An opportunity here exists to catch some live game. The Deer is not hostile and will not attack unless backed into a corner it cannot escape from. Use the detailed information on the next page to see if the Deer spots the players if they attempt to stealth. Shooting the deer will be difficult due to the thick forest, giving the Deer 50% coverage at this range or 25% coverage at closer range. (Roll a percentile dice on each attack, on a result lower than the % given the shot misses regardless of the characters attack roll.) N Medium animal Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +10 DEFENSE AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 natural) hp 11 (2d8+2) Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +2 OFFENSE Speed 40 ft. Melee gore +2 (1d6+1), 2 hooves –3 (1d4) TACTICS Deer attack with their hooves or antlers. Antelopes, when defending their herd, attack by charging an opponent and butting with their horns (gore). The gore attack only applies to bucks with antlers. STATISTICS Str 12, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6 Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 15 (19 vs. trip) Feats Dodge B, Mobility B, Run Skills Acrobatics +2 (+6 jump), Perception +10, Stealth +10 (+14 in forests), Swim+5; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (+8 in forests), +4 Swim 4> Creek You come across a fresh water creek. Little more than a trickle, it isn’t enough to supply the people of the Keep with a water source but it is enough for you to refill your water skins. 5> Split Tree You stumble across a large pine tree that has been split clear down the middle. Closer inspection shows a great deal of blackened wood along the split. You suspect it may have been the victim of a lightening strike. 6> Forest Clearing You blink as your eyes adjust to the direct sunlight pouring into this small forest clearing. The brown forest floor gives way to thick green grass and flowers. Butterflies and Bees flutter and fly about the area creating an overall tranquil effect. 7> Dry Gulley As you beat a path through the forest your route is intersected by a dry gulley. Only a meter or so deep and five or six meters wide the gulley is dry as a bone filled with nothing now except pine needles and scrub. You notice a number of bushes bearing fruit line the far side of the gulley. Knowledge Nature (DC15) – Success: The bushes are wild blackberry and perfectly safe to eat. 8> Wild Apple TreePushing through the forest you come across a tree that strikes you as different. It’s neither pine, spruce or fir. Knowledge Nature (DC 15) – Success: It’s an apple tree. If it was currently bearing fruit it would have no doubt been much easier to identify. It must be out of season. 9> Old Campfire You almost trip over an old campfire as you move through the brush. While it’s clear this hasn’t been used in a very long time, it’s interesting to note that you aren’t the first intelligent life to pass through this area. Searching the campfire reveals nothing. 10> Ruined Tower Feel free to reveal the printed maps to your players as they enter each floor of the tower to help them get an idea of the layout. The maps themselves reveal no secrets or spoilers. Poking through and over some of the trees up ahead you spy what appears to be a made stone structure. Moving closer you realise that it’s a ruined tower, possibly once used for keeping watch in the area. Looking up the ground and first floor still look reasonably intact although the second floor looks damaged and you can’t see much of a roof. The tower itself appears to be square in design with two rusted iron doors in the southern side. You notice arrow slits up higher on the 1st'' and 2'nd' floors, again supporting the theory that this tower was built as a defensive structure.'' The double doors are heavy iron and show a lot of surface rust on this size. Being a defensive structure the doors open inwards, this allows for the hinges to be on the inside and it also stops outside forces from barricading the door and stopping it from opening. The doors aren’t locked or barricaded but they are rusted shut and will require a Strength Check (DC 20) to burst open. Due to the size of the door two players can assist by making Strength Checks (DC 10), if successful they give the primary character a +2 bonus on their Strength Check. Multiple checks are allowed. Alternatively players may try to scale the tower wall to gain entry. The second floor is just over 30 feet high, requiring three skill checks to reach. Check the description though for detailed information about the floor on the second level as it is quite dangerous and ready to collapse. Climb Check (DC 20 for each 10 feet) – Give the player +10 to their check if using a rope to climb down but only +5 to their check if using a rope to climb up. Creatures that fall take 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet fallen, to a maximum of 20d6. Creatures that take lethal damage from a fall land in a prone position. If a character deliberately jumps instead of merely slipping or falling, the damage is the same but the first 1d6 is nonlethal damage. A DC 15 Acrobatics check allows the character to avoid any damage from the first 10 feet fallen and converts any damage from the second 10 feet to nonlethal damage. Thus, a character who slips from a ledge 30 feet up takes 3d6 damage. If the same character deliberately jumps, he takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 2d6 points of lethal damage. And if the character leaps down with a successful Acrobatics check, he takes only 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 1d6 points of lethal damage from the plunge. > Tower Ground Floor Unless the players have burst open the door, have dark vision or sparked up a light source the room it is too dark to see much in here other than the south-east corner where the stairs are. The room is approximately 10 feet high and smells of mould and dust. The interior of this large stone room doesn’t appear to have been disturbed in a considerably long time. A thick layer of dust has settled upon every surface and a large mess of cobwebs can be seen in the North West Corner. A rusted pot-bellied stove rests against the northern wall, it’s crooked chimney exiting a point in the wall higher up. In the north-east corner is a moulding weapons wrack, replete with rusted weapons. An iron chest rests beside it. A large moulding circular table dominates the centre of the room with a half dozen or so equally rotting wooden stools surrounding it. The remains of what appears to be a coat rack lie broken in the south-west corner. On the walls about the room you can see dusty and obviously unlit torches in sconces. A large flight of stone stairs leads up to the floor above, a small pool of water has gathered at the base of the stairs and you can see daylight struggling to illuminate the stairs faintly. The floor for the most part is covered in dirt, dust, pine needles and droppings from small animals, however despite this you can make out a trapdoor in the floor tucked away behind the stairs. The weapons rack hold a number of swords, maces, halberds and the like. All of them are horribly rusted and of absolutely no use or worth. The iron chest is still in reasonably good condition despite its age. It is locked, the key for which has long since lost. It can be unlocked with a Disable Device Check (DC20) or it can be bashed open – Hardness 3 (Ignore the first 3 points of damage done each hit) Hit Points 5. Inside the chest are two dusty potions. Players can either use a Detect Magic Spell and make a Spellcraft Check (DC16) or take a small sample from the potion and make a Perception Check (DC16) to identify them as Potions of Cure Light Wounds. If the chest was bashed open there is chance that one or more of the potions where broken. Roll % - Under 1-25% = Both Broken, 26-50% = One Broken, 51-100% = Both intact. The trapdoor is not locked just covered in dirt and rusty, with a bit of cleaning and effort it can be opened. Doing so reveals a rusty iron ladder and darkness, see the description from Tower Basement for more information. > Tower 1st' Floor' There is plenty of light in this area due to the fact that half the roof is missing. Along side that light enters the room from the numerous arrow slits in the walls. The strong smell of dampness assaults your nostrils as you enter the 1st'' floor of the tower. At least half of the ceiling has collapsed and the other half appears to be sagging. A large pool of water has formed at the base of a flight of stone stairs leading up while and even larger pool of tepid, brown water is filling a large portion of the southern half of the room. Scattered across the floor is rubble and other detritus that most likely once made up the ceiling.'' Three beds in horrendous condition can be found here, complete with rotting bed linen. Covered in feathers, fur and an enormous amount of faeces they appear to have been home for a great many of the local fauna. Two rotting bedside tables sag and lean against the bed frames. A mould covered and blackened wooden chest rests in the pool of water in the south west corner of the room, it’s even manage to grow small firs and fungus on it. A wooden cupboard at the north end of the room shows heavy signs of weather but appears to have avoided a lot of the damage the other furniture has sustained. It’s tucked away against the north wall beside the ascending staircase. The pools of water in this room are not deep, only a few centimetres at most. The do not inhibit movement but they are stagnant and all together unpleasant. It’s filled with algae, feathers, slime and faeces. When someone opens the cupboard have them make a Reflex Save (DC 15) to jump out of the way in fright! If they fail they fall back onto the floor. Several ravens burst out of the cupboard having been disturbed. Inside the remains of rotting clothing has been turned into a make-shift nest. The chest in the corner of the room use to hold bed linen. The chest will literally disintegrate into a pool of soggy splinters if interfered with. If exploring the room thoroughly a Perception Check (DC 20) will notice a blackened leather pouch submerged in the pool under a bed. Inside are 15 Gold Coins, 12 Silver Coins and 10 Copper Coins. They are quite old and worn, see ‘1> Coin’ for more details. > Tower 2nd' Floor' The top floor of this tower has seen much, much better days you would assume. Only half of the floor remains and no ceiling, with what was once the ceiling no resting on what remains of the floor or the ground below. Large blocks of rubble litter the area. What you can only assume was once a bed gives the only clue as to what this room might once have been. Its wooden frame collapsed long ago and its linens have rotten away. '' ''A large pool of water has formed on the floor, black and slick. It looks nasty and smells terrible. A heavily worn but surprisingly sturdy looking wooden chest teeters on the edge of the floor, ready at any moment to tip and fall to the ground below. Once the players step into the room – The floor sags and trembles as you step on it. The floor here is very dangerous and unsafe, it could collapse at any moment. A Knowledge Engineering (DC10) will identify it as such. A Knowledge Engineering (DC15) will determine that the floor could handle at most a combined weight of 30kg (~70pound) will cause the floor to come crashing down. That means that anyone aside from a unequipped Halfling or child will likely have a bad day walking on this surface. If the floor collapses, anyone standing on it will take 1d6 fall damage unless they succeed a Acrobatics Check (DC15) in which case the damage will be non-lethal. They will take a further 1d6 damage from falling rubble landing on them. Anyone standing beneath the floor will take 2d6 damage with a successful Reflex Save (DC15) halving the damage. The chest will be broken open if it falls, of course clever players may avoid the floor all together and simply bring it down from the floor below. Just keep in mind any serious bumping of the ceiling from the level below could bring the whole thing down. The chest contains a leather bound book, wrapped in a waxed cloth and as such is in reasonably good condition. Opening the book reveals some type of diary or journal, however the language is unknown. The characters are similar to Common but the words are different. A Knowledge History (DC20) check will identify the language as Old Common which hasn’t been spoken for over 1000 years. If a ‘Comprehend Languages’ spell or similar is used the book is revealed to be log for the guards who use to secure this watch tower. The book should definitely be returned to the keep for further analysis. > Tower Basement You lift the trapdoor to reveal an iron ladder leading down to a dark room below. Players will need dark-vision or supply a light source to see in the basement. The smell of damp earth is strong as you enter into the tower basement. Mould and lichen cover the stone walls and the soil floor, while not mud, appears moist. Everything else in this room is covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. A simple stone well dominates the north-western portion of the room, a rotten wooden bucket attached to a rusted chain rests beside it. Near the well is a blackened and mould stained wash tub. Along the southern wall is a collection of barrels, crates and furniture. Another weapons rack, similar to the one upstairs can also be found here, although the weapons on this one appear to be in even worse condition, the damp air accelerating the rusting process. '' ''Beside the weapon rack though is an armour stand and interestingly the chain shirt hanging upon it, while dusty, appears to be completely devoid of any rust. The armour is a Chain Shirt + 1 and magical, which is why it hasn’t rusted. Any player approaching the armour will immediately trigger the Encounter – As you approach the southern end of the room the ground breaks apart violently and skeleton hands pull skeleton bodies up from their earthen graves. With a silent hiss they attack. For this encounter have the party face one skeleton for each party member. So if the party consists of 5 members, have 5 skeletons attack them. NE Medium undead Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0 DEFENSE AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, +2 Dex, +2 natural) hp 4 (1d8) Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +2 DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune cold, undead traits OFFENSE Speed 30 ft. Melee broken scimitar +0 (1d6), claw –3 (1d4+1) or 2 claws +2 (1d4+2) STATISTICS Str 15, Dex 14, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 10 Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 14 Feats Improved InitiativeB Gear broken chain shirt, broken scimitar The barrels contain wine that is now little more than vinegar and tepid water. The rotting crates contain virtually nothing anymore, although faint traces of food stuffs may be noticeable (the smell perhaps at least). The well is deep, at least 50ft (15 meters) before hitting dark, cold water. Falling or climbing into the well would be a bad idea, the rock walls inside the well are damp and slippery. Trying to climb this surface unaided would require a Climb Check (DC 30) per 10feet. The water at the bottom of the well is very deep, if by some unnatural means a player can see and breathe long enough to swim down the 100 or so feet it eventually reveals a small underground stream, however the passage that the water flows along is too narrow for the character to enter. West Read the following introduction to the players (As a general rule any italic text is to be read aloud) – You and your newly formed group head out the now open gates of the Keep and step out into the forest beyond. The early morning light has yet to pierce the thick canopy above you and touch the ground at your feet, making it a little difficult for those with human eyes to see. You check your bearings against the rising sun and head away from it and presumably West. '' The adventurers will be spending the sessions exploring a single hex on the map to the east of the Keep. For the sake of ease it’s assumed that the sharp eyes on the Keep wall and perhaps some night surveillance by a more elite group has already surveyed the area immediately surrounding the Keep (essentially the hex it is in on the map). A typical 12 mile hex filled with forest takes two days to thoroughly investigate. For the sake of this story though we are going to assume that the adventurers will be able to get enough information in one day to consider their hex ‘Explored’. Allow the players to determine how they best feel they should explore the hex, whether it be a sweeping pattern or random squiggle. It’s a good opportunity for the ‘characters’ to introduce themselves and meet each other (If their characters are friendly and open enough that is). Use the table below to make 10 checks (Or simply pick one if you prefer) re-rolling any previously encountered results. Essentially the group should encounter each of these events once. More detail for each event is found below this table. Once all 10 events are completed point out to the players that the sun is getting low on the horizon and that they should probably make for the Keep hastily. D10 Event 1 Ancient Statue 2 Encounter: Dire Rats 3 Wolfsbane 4 Escarpment 5 Burnt Forest 6 Broken Wagon 7 Dead Deer 8 Rocky Outcrop 9 Menacing Tree 10 Ruined Village '''1> Ancient Statue' Pushing through the scrub you come across what you first believe to be a large slab of white stone. Looking about you see several small chunks of similar white stone. Stepping back and taking a broader look you believe you may have discovered an ancient statue. While the detail has long since worn away the rouge shapes of the pieces resemble something humanoid once stood on a block here. 2> Encounter: Dire Rats If you have 6 players in your group, increase the amount of rats to 5. You hear a rustling in the brush up ahead, cautiously you approach to see three (five) large rats chewing on the remains of something. They must smell you coming though as they turn almost in unison and scurry towards you, blood dripping from their large teeth. N Small animal Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +4 DEFENSE AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 size) hp 5 (1d8+1) Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +1 OFFENSE Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft. Melee bite +1 (1d4 plus disease) Special Attacks disease STATISTICS Str 10, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 4 Base Atk +0; CMB –1; CMD 12 (16 vs. trip) Feats Skill Focus (Perception) Skills Climb +11, Perception +4, Stealth +11, Swim +11; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to modify Climb and Swim SPECIAL ABILITIES Disease (Ex) Filth fever: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 11; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based. 3> WolfsbaneYou come across a hillock bathed in sunlight and covered in a curious looking plant. Knowledge: Nature (DC 15) – Success: The plant is Wolfsbane, poisonous if ingested in large quantities it’s also used for it’s natural healing properties and to stave of Lycanthropy. 4> EscarpmentThe foliage gives way to sunlight and you find yourselves standing on the edge of an escarpment. Some 40ft below you the forest continues in this direction. The face of the escarpment isn’t quite sheer but it’s not far from it and the surface looks to comprise of loose and broken earth. Looking about you this obstacle extends for some direction in either direction. Climbing down the escarpment unaided is a risky venture. Using a rope secured to a nearby tree or held by a strong party member is highly recommended. If the party choose to walk around it, ignore the next roll on the event table for loss of time (Except for event 10, this must always occur). Climb Check (DC 20 for each 10 feet) – Give the player +10 to their check if using a rope to climb down but only +5 to their check if using a rope to climb up. Creatures that fall take 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet fallen, to a maximum of 20d6. Creatures that take lethal damage from a fall land in a prone position. If a character deliberately jumps instead of merely slipping or falling, the damage is the same but the first 1d6 is nonlethal damage. A DC 15 Acrobatics check allows the character to avoid any damage from the first 10 feet fallen and converts any damage from the second 10 feet to nonlethal damage. Thus, a character who slips from a ledge 40 feet up takes 4d6 damage. If the same character deliberately jumps, he takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 3d6 points of lethal damage. And if the character leaps down with a successful Acrobatics check, he takes only 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 2d6 points of lethal damage from the plunge. 5> Burnt Forest There is an almost definitive line in the forest here with one side lush and green and the other side black and burnt. A fire has obviously swept through this area recently, although whether it was natural or not is impossible to tell. The burn area is a circle approximately 2km in radius. 6> Broken Wagon Nestled deep in the brush and covered in thick vines, furs and fungus you find an ancient, moulding wagon. It’s interesting to discover that you aren’t the only intelligent life to have passed this way before, although it’s clearly been a long time since this wagon was abandoned here. If players are really keen and have the tools they can dig in the earth here and discover the remains of an ancient road. This would however require an awful long time to complete. The wagon remains are quite fragile and easily destroyed if disturbed. 7> Dead Deer Your nostrils are assaulted by the smell of rotting flesh as you circle around a particularly large fir. On the ground you see the remains of a deer, torn open and half devoured. Large claw marks, perhaps those of a large cat or bear rake the sides of the carcass. Tracks litter the area. The deer was slain by a Bear but halfway through consumption it was scared off by something larger. Knowledge: Nature (DC 25) You can identify the tracks of the deer and the bear that slew it, there was something else in this area though that you cannot identify. Players are welcome to make Survival check to track the creatures, the Deer and Bear will require only a DC10 check to follow and they travel for some time in a given direction. The other set of tracks from the unknown creature are impossible to track and simply vanish a few meters from this area. 8> Rocky Outcrop The treeline recedes to reveal a large clearing, easily 200ft (60 meters) in radius. The majority of this clearing is filled with a large rocky outcrop surrounded by boulders both large and small and a great deal of rocks. Sunning themselves on the rocks you see dozens of small lizards of various shades of green. The lizards flee and hide in the small gaps and crevices in the rock formation if approached. There is nothing hidden in the rock formation. 9> Menacing Tree Moving through the trees you come to a small clearing, no more than 20 or 30 feet in radius, the centre of which though is completely filled by a large and rather ominious looking tree. Clearly not a spruce, pine or fir it looks more like a dead willow. Large, black and dead it gives you an uneasy feeling as if it’s looking back at you. '' The tree is Evil and a Detect Evil spell will reveal this. The tree serves no purpose in this game but may be used at a later date by another Game Master. '''10> Ruined Village' You hear the sound of running water ahead and quicken your pace in excitement. Moving briskly now you clear the forest and enter into a large open valley. The gentle slope at your feet is covered in lush green grass with flows down to a river at the bottom of the valley. Situated beside the river you see a village or similar small settlement. The river appears to be flowing from the mountains to the north and continues southerly as far as you can see. On the far side of the valley about a mile away (1.8km) the ground rises up again is covered in a thick forest of firs, pines and spruce. As you approach the village it’s clear that it was abandoned a long time ago. >Blacksmith A worn anvil and a long disused firepit dominate the hard packed dirt area at the front of this river stone structure, clearly indicating that it was once the residence of a smith. The structure itself appears to be in much better condition than the other houses, this may have something to do with the rusted metal banding strapping the corners and walls of this house together. The thatch roof though is showing plenty of damage though. You doubt if the large open doorway to this structure ever had a solid door, a metal bar running across the doorway with rusted circlets suggests some sort of curtain or drape. Skeleton Attack Longsword + 1 >Baker The grandest of all the dilapidated buildings in this small village is or was clearly a mill. This two story structure, despite is dominating size hasn’t weathered the ages any better than the other buildings though. A large wooden and half broken watermill still manages to turn with the rivers current. A repetitious ‘clunking’ sound can be heard from within the building. The door that once filled the doorway at the front of the building is now on the ground and covered in long grass. Second Floor is Dangerous. The floor here is very dangerous and unsafe, it could collapse at any moment. A Knowledge Engineering (DC10) will identify it as such. A Knowledge Engineering (DC15) will determine that the floor could handle at most a combined weight of 30kg (~70pound) will cause the floor to come crashing down. That means that anyone aside from a unequipped Halfling or child will likely have a bad day walking on this surface. If the floor collapses, anyone standing on it will take 1d6 fall damage unless they succeed a Acrobatics Check (DC15) in which case the damage will be non-lethal. They will take a further 1d6 damage from falling rubble landing on them. Anyone standing beneath the floor will take 2d6 damage with a successful Reflex Save (DC15) halving the damage. >Butcher This squat building is made of river stone and thatch, similar to the other buildings in this village. A faded sign depicting a bull, a sausage and a steak creaks as it swings on the pole protruding from the wall of this building. You can see the remains of rotten wooden fencing at the back of the property, perhaps once a pen or yard? A doorway at the front and the back of the structure provide entrances into the collapsing structure, the doors having long since fallen from their hinges. >Farmer A large portion of the thatch roof on this river stone structure has collapsed. A sun faded sign attached to the wall next to the front doorway faintly depicts various fruit and vegetables. A large area behind the house was clearly once farmland, the once tilled and fertilized soil now home to thick green grass and wild flowers. Several neglected fruit trees blow gently in the breeze. For this encounter have the party face one skeleton for each party member. So if the party consists of 5 members, have 5 skeletons attack them. NE Medium undead Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0 DEFENSE AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, +2 Dex, +2 natural) hp 4 (1d8) Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +2 DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune cold, undead traits OFFENSE Speed 30 ft. Melee broken scimitar +0 (1d6), claw –3 (1d4+1) or 2 claws +2 (1d4+2) STATISTICS Str 15, Dex 14, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 10 Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 14 Feats Improved InitiativeB Gear broken chain shirt, broken scimitar Category:Quests